


The Silver Lining

by Victorious56



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pre-Relationship, bedroom shenanigans, but it's kind of a means to an end, coronavirus (kind of), very soft focus tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26617363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: When it seems there might be a repeat of the disastrous pandemic of two years ago, the government loses no time in declaring a lockdown of all households. For Qrow and Clover, this presents a problem.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 40





	The Silver Lining

"Have you seen the news?" Qrow's aggrieved voice sounded in Clover's ear.

"Yeah, I did. It's a bit of a bummer."

"You can say that again. How on earth are we going to get these episodes finished? If we can't meet up?"

"I don't know, Qrow. There must be something—"

"There isn't. Unless you can wave a magic wand and change government policy before tomorrow evening." There was silence in Clover's ear, as Qrow closed the call.

Clover sighed. It was typical of Qrow to go into any situation with a pessimistic attitude. Although in this case, he had a point. Clover's usual, more positive approach, couldn't at the moment see a way round this one.

They'd been writing screenplays for nearly four years now. Mostly fairly niche work, but it had drawn acclaim from the right quarters.

And they always worked together. Alongside each other. In the same room.

The government edict that different households could not meet, effective from midnight the next day, was a disaster for them. Qrow generally went to Clover's flat, and sometimes they'd visit a local coffee shop and work there. They'd never collaborated over a video call before, and Clover wasn't sure how well that might work.

It was the to-and-froing of ideas, the awareness of the other's moods, the ability to jump up and walk around, the occasional hug if one of them was struggling... how did you replicate that when you weren't in the same room?

Clover made himself a coffee, using his usual mug with the four leaf clover printed on the side. He saw Qrow's _Pessimists are never disappointed_ mug in the cupboard. As he stared at it, Clover had an idea.

❖

"You might think this is stupid..."

"That's not a very positive way to start a conversation." Qrow's voice was back to its teasing normality.

"Just setting the bar low. I know you." Clover couldn't help smiling. "Why don't you come and stop here for a bit?"

There was a long silence. "Uh... what about James? Won't he have something to say about it?"

Clover paused. "James is old news, Qrow. We split up, nearly a month ago."

"Jeez, I didn't know, Cloves. I'm sorry."

Clover smiled at the sympathetic tone. "Thanks, but... it's okay. I'm not heartbroken or anything. Don't worry, I won't be crying on your shoulder."

"But you and him... I thought you were good? I thought it was going somewhere..."

"Yeah well, so did I, for a while. But then it just got... less interesting, I suppose. So we called a halt. No drama or anything. Anyway," Clover's tone brightened. "That means there'll be no problem if you come and live here for a while. I've got the spare room, and we can just crack on with work. What's not to like?"

Qrow considered it for about three seconds. "You're right, it's a good plan. I'll need to get my stuff together, clothes and what-not. I'll come over tomorrow morning, shall I?"

"Sounds great. See you then."

❖

The following morning, Qrow pulled up outside Clover's flat. He gathered his bags from the boot, dropped his keys on the pavement, and finally managed to lock the car and stagger to the entrance of the block. After failing to reach the entry button, he gave in and put the bags down, enabling him to push the button for Clover's flat. After a short wait, Clover buzzed him in.

Qrow managed to collect his bags and get through the door before it locked again. He looked at the stairs, then pressed the 'up' button to call the lift. Clover's flat was on the third floor, and Qrow was tired of trying to control all the bags he'd brought.

Clover opened the door, exclaiming at Qrow's mound of bags. "How long were you planning on staying, exactly?"

Qrow looked defensive. "I brought all my fresh food. And I thought I'd better err on the side of not running out of clothes."

"I do have a washing machine, you know." Clover's mouth curved into a smile as he picked up two of the holdalls. "Come on."

The spare room was small and sparsely furnished.

"I think I'll leave most of my stuff in these." Qrow gestured to the bags, now lined up against the wall. "I didn't bother bringing any smart clothes."

"Hmm, am I not worth it, then?" Clover grinned as he left the room. "Oh, do you want a cup of tea?" His head reappeared around the doorframe.

"You know me too well. Yes, please." Qrow unzipped the bags, pulling out a pair of pyjama shorts and a t-shirt, which he tossed onto the bed.

"Clover, where should I put my toothbrush and stuff?"

Clover couldn't hear Qrow above the sound of the kettle. He repeated his question, loudly in the other man's ear.

"You don't need to shout." The kettle stopped boiling, and Clover added water to the teapot.

Qrow folded his arms. "You didn't answer the first time."

"Don't nag me, Qrow. We're not married." Clover smirked at him.

"Well, what's the answer?"

"There's only the one bathroom, I'm afraid. You'll have to put your bits in there with mine."

"Okay." Qrow went back to his bedroom, taking his things into the bathroom and putting them on the windowsill.

"I'm all sorted."

"Great. Here's your tea." Clover handed Qrow his mug.

"Got any biscuits?" asked Qrow hopefully.

Clover quirked his mouth. "How long will it be before you've driven me completely crazy?"

"It's called _keeping you on your toes_ ," smiled Qrow, as he selected a chocolate biscuit.

❖

Qrow and Clover settled into an easy routine. Clover preferred to wake early and would do some chores before Qrow woke. Then they had breakfast together, before spending several hours working at the large table in the living room. Qrow would fix some lunch, and in the afternoon they worked a little more. If the weather was dry, they went for a walk in the nearby park, being sure to steer clear of other people also out for their permitted daily exercise.

Clover did not regularly cook an evening meal, often relying on ready meals or a home delivery. Qrow enjoyed trying out different things in the kitchen, so most evenings he would cook a meal using what he found in Clover's cupboards. Clover was a willing assistant, and the results were generally very good.

"We need to get some shopping in; we don't want to run out of food." Qrow peered in the fridge. "It's looking a bit empty in here."

So that evening was spent arguing over what had to go on the online shopping order, with agreement finally reached after a bottle of wine had been drunk.

"Is your bed okay? I meant to ask, but I didn't." Clover's voice was very slightly slurred as he looked at Qrow, sitting on the sofa beside him.

"It's fine. Well, I say fine. It's okay. Adequate. Passable. Acceptable. Tolerable—" Qrow's voice was equally fuzzy.

"Alright, I get the message." Clover covered Qrow's mouth with the palm of his hand.

Qrow's brain felt blurred, but the sensation of Clover's fingers against his face sliced through the mist, parting it to show him the other's laughing face. He slowly removed Clover's hand from his mouth.

"Average. Middling. It'll do." Qrow grinned as he returned Clover's hand to his lap. "Seriously, it's fine. It's not like I'll be sleeping in it forever, right?"

❖

The work progressed well. The book they were adapting was described as a _modern fantasy_ , and Qrow saw it as somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

"We don't want it to end up too full of itself. _Look at us being all gory and sexy just because we can_ , kind of thing." Clover knew the temptation to follow a path already trodden was very easy.

"Yeah, but it needs to be a bit more _lively_ than LotR. I love the book, but calling it pedestrian wouldn't be unfair, I think."

"The films worked pretty well. Took the good stuff, left out some of the more woolly bits. I haven't watched them for years."

"Why don't we treat ourselves?" Qrow drained his mug. "Have a Rings watchathon?"

"All three? Back to back?"

"Yeah, why not? It's the weekend... isn't it?" Qrow felt that _days of the week_ was becoming an outdated concept.

"It's Saturday... okay, why not? We may even have some popcorn."

So the whiteboard was pushed to one side of the room, and the two men settled onto the sofa. As the day went on, Qrow remembered why the story had been divided into three films.

"There's a lot of this, isn't there?" His voice was drowsy, and he fought to keep his head upright. "I mean, I'm enjoying it, but..."

His head slipped sideways onto Clover's shoulder once again.

"Don't worry, Qrow, it's not as if you don't know the story." Clover glanced down at the sleepy man. "Have a nap if you need it."

"Mmm, might just do that. If you don't mind..." Qrow's voice ended in a mumble as he sagged further against Clover, his head slipping forward awkwardly.

With a smile, Clover edged as far as he could along the sofa, Qrow's body sliding sideways so his head rested on Clover's lap. Qrow wriggled, eyes still closed, bringing his feet up onto the opposite end of the sofa. He squirmed once more, settling back with a contented sigh.

Clover picked up the TV remote, decreasing the volume a little. He rested a hand on Qrow's shoulder, a small smile on his mouth, as the battle for Helm's Deep raged on.

It was at least an hour later, the room now almost dark, when Qrow stirred into wakefulness. He was warm and comfortable, and for several minutes decided to simply enjoy the feeling. Once fully awake, he turned his head and glanced up. He could barely discern Clover's face in the gloom, his head fallen to one side against the back of the sofa.

_So I'm lying comfortably in Clover's lap and we've fallen asleep. Not sure what to make of this._ He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, then moved to switch on a lamp. Clover stirred as the room became brighter.

"What...?" He massaged his neck, wincing. "Ouch."

Qrow sat back down, running his hands through his hair. "Oh, sorry Cloves. I think I drooled on your leg." Without thinking, he reached over and rubbed at the damp patch on Clover's thigh.

"Uh, it's okay, Qrow. You don't need—"

"No, uh, sorry." Blushing, Qrow pulled his hand away. "Personal space and all that, sorry."

"No, that's fine. The idea of personal space doesn't seem so important at the moment, for some reason. Blame it on lockdown." Clover rubbed at his trousers absentmindedly. "These are due for a wash, anyway."

"Perhaps we should just finish the film." Qrow turned his attention back to the TV, as Clover increased the volume.

❖

Lying in his adequate bed in the spare room that night, before sleep claimed him, Qrow wondered. He'd worked with Clover for years, they got along well. But he'd never thought of Clover in _that_ way before.

The other side of the wall, Clover lay in his larger, more comfortable bed. He thought back to earlier, and how _right_ it had seemed as Qrow lay asleep in his lap. _This whole lockdown situation makes unusual things seem normal._ Turning over in bed, he finally drifted off to sleep.

❖

The following morning was painfully ordinary. Careful small talk over breakfast, before commencing work eagerly. The occasional hurried glance at the other, unnoticed.

By mid-morning, Qrow had had enough. "This feels awkward and I don't like it. What's up?"

Clover sat back in his chair. "I'm not sure. I feel kind of... I hesitate to say _shy_ , but that's what it feels like. As if I don't know you very well. Which is stupid."

Qrow rested his elbows on the table. "I know what you mean. Maybe we've been closeted together for too long... we need to spend some of each day separately, perhaps? I could take my laptop into the kitchen, if you like."

Clover glanced at him. "It's worth a try. We can get together later and compare notes."

  


The day passed in this way, and by the evening Qrow was feeling restless.

"I think I'll go out for a quick walk round the block. See you in a bit." He put in his AirPods and was gone before Clover could say anything.

While Qrow was out, Clover went round the flat and tidied up a few things. He stood at the door to the spare bedroom, gazing at the rumpled, unmade bed with a small smile. After a moment he shook his head, turning away almost reluctantly, and going into his own bedroom. He stopped at the sight of his neat double bed, uninvited memories of James entering his thoughts. _I don't want to think about him._ A different face appeared before him, a lazy grin curving the mouth and crinkling the eyes. Clover felt a heat wash through him, and without realising what he was doing, his hand drifted across the front of his sweatpants, cupping himself firmly. He leant against the doorframe, eyes closed, allowing himself to sink into the unexpected gratification. He didn't hear the key in the lock, or the opening of the front door.

Clover did hear the muttered curse as Qrow tripped on the doormat.

He took a step forward into his bedroom, breathing heavily. _What am I thinking? This is... awful._ It didn't feel awful, though. It felt good.

"I'm fine!" Qrow's voice echoed down the hallway. "Thanks for asking!"

Clover rubbed a hand across his face. "Sorry!" he called. "I was just tidying up." He took a few more deep breaths as he went out into the hall.

Qrow smiled at him brightly. "That feels better. A breath of fresh air was just what I needed."

"That's good."

Qrow's smile faded. "Are you okay, Cloves? You look a bit... off. Not getting sick, are you?"

"No, Qrow, it's fine. A breath of fresh air, as you say. Maybe I'll take a quick stroll too."

  


Clover welcomed the cooler air on his face. Despite trying to push aside the memory of what he'd been thinking just a short while ago, before Qrow... Clover couldn't help laughing to himself. Qrow had cock-blocked Clover's fantasy of Qrow... he knew the other man would find the idea highly entertaining. _But I can't tell him... can I? What would I tell him, even? "After knowing you for years, Qrow, I suddenly fancy you and want to get inside your pants"?_ Clover's steps slowed as the thought overtook him... _no, not again._

He stared fixedly at the ground in front of him, willing his mind away from the warmth which refused to dissipate. _If this carries on, I don't know what I'll do..._

❖

After a quiet evening, where no-one fell asleep on anyone's lap, both men decided they needed an early night.

Clover awoke early the following day. His sleep had not been very restful, and his mouth was almost painfully dry. He went drowsily to the kitchen to replenish his water glass.

Qrow was sitting at the breakfast bar, a mug of tea and a piece of toast in front of him. He looked up in surprise as Clover appeared in the doorway.

Clover's eyes widened. "Uh, you're up early..."

"Yeah, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep." Qrow stared at Clover, framed in the doorway. Wearing only the boxers he slept in. He tried, and failed, to look away from the comfortable bulge which filled the front of Clover's boxers. _Comfortable? Why comfortable?_ The slice of toast fell back onto the plate, as Qrow's brain decided the thought of wrapping his hand over that comfortable bulge, was far more important.

"I came to get some water." Clover's mouth said the words, but his brain was thinking something very different. _I just want to kiss him. Just one kiss. To prove that it doesn't mean anything._

"Clover..." Qrow's voice was husky. He picked up the toast and put it down again. "I— something seems to be happening, and I don't understand."

Clover's comfortable bulge had become something much more, and he stepped forward so it was screened by the counter. "I know."

"Is it just... I dunno, lockdown fever, maybe? Is that a thing?"

"I don't know, Qrow. It's— intense, whatever it is."

"Perhaps I should go back home." Qrow made the offer, hoping desperately it would be rejected.

"No." Clover spoke more forcefully than he'd intended. "No," he repeated, more gently. "Don't go."

Qrow stood up, pushing his plate to one side. He walked round to the other side of the counter, his heart pounding uncomfortably. Clover turned to face him, his lower lip caught between his teeth.

Qrow reached his hand towards Clover's where it gripped the edge of the counter. He touched the fingers softly. "Shall I kiss you? Shall we... try, and see what happens?"

Clover nodded wordlessly, and Qrow took one more step towards him.

❖

The weak sun did its best to illuminate the two figures in the bed. Two men, friends and colleagues for many years, who had taken an unexpected step in their relationship. Who were now lying together, legs entwined, sharing a sweaty embrace in the breathless aftermath.

"Qrow?" Clover's voice was a warm murmur against Qrow's ear.

"Mmm?"

"What just happened?"

Qrow peered at Clover from under his fringe. "You don't really need me to explain, I hope."

Clover nudged him. "You know what I mean. We've known each other for ages... why now?"

"Are you sorry that it happened?"

"Jeez, no. That was... amazing. As you very well know." Clover pulled Qrow a little closer. "But... we've never come close to this, before. I don't understand."

"Me neither, but let's not worry about it, eh? As long as it doesn't affect our work. And I don't see why it should, do you?"

"No, I don't think it would. If we're adult about it."

Qrow moved his hand to lightly tickle Clover's waist. "Adult is my middle name."

"Well, I never knew that. Although, I'm learning a lot about you today." Clover rolled Qrow onto his back, holding him in place with his leg. He gazed at the man beneath him, whose slow grin seemed to be never far from his lips. "Like how nice it is when I do this." Clover's mouth closed over Qrow's, his tongue moving gently, tracing the inner edges of the other man's lips lightly.

Qrow moved against him, a soft moan sighing against Clover's mouth. "I thought I was feeling tired, but I may have been wrong."

"We can sleep later." Clover's kiss became more demanding, any idea of sleep abandoned, as Qrow's arms wrapped around his waist.

**Author's Note:**

> Friendly comments always appreciated, thank you.


End file.
